Syllabus of IBPS SO Marketing exam 2026

1. Introduction to Marketing- Concepts and Approaches   
Market   
Marketing   
Customer Needs, Wants and Demands   
Marketing Orientations   
Holistic Marketing   
Marketing Mix   
Recent Trends in Marketing   

2. Developing Marketing Strategy   
Business Portfolio Strategies   
Marketing Strategy   
Porter Generic Strategies   
Value Chain Analysis   
SWOT Analysis   
Marketing Plan   
Marketing Control   

3. Marketing Information and Forecasting   
Analyzing Marketing Environment   
Marketing Information System   
Demand Forecasting   
Estimating Current and Future Demand   

4. Marketing Research   
Process of Marketing Research   
Research Instruments   
Sampling Plan   
Measuring Marketing Productivity   

5. Consumer Behaviour and Industrial Markets   
Factors influencing Consumer Behaviour   
Consumers’ Buying Decision Process   
Consumers’ Buying Decision Behaviour   
Buyer Decision Process in New Products   
Theories of Consumer Behaviour   
Business Buyer Behaviour   
Business Buyer Behaviour Model   

6. Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning   
Market Segmentation   
Market Targeting   
Differentiation and Positioning   

7. Product Decisions   
Product Levels   
Product Classification   
Product Decisions   
New Product Development   
Product Adoption Process   
Product Life Cycle   

8. Pricing Decisions   
Pricing Strategies   
New Product Pricing Strategies   
Product Mix Pricing Strategies   
Price-Adjustment Strategies   
Price Changes   
Public Policy and Pricing   
Pricing during PLC   

9. Services Marketing   
Types of Service Marketing   
Managing Service Marketing   
Gap Analysis   

10. Distribution Decisions   
Channel Management   
Channel Conflict   
Channel Integration and Systems   
Logistics Management   
International Logistics Management   
Supply Chain Management   
Retail Management   
Retail Marketing Decision   
Recent trends in Retail    in India
Wholesaling   
Wholesale Marketing Decision
    
11. Promotion Decisions   
Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC)   
Marketing Communication Process   
Promotion Budget   
Promotion Mix Strategies   
Advertising Management   
Sales Promotion   
Sales Promotion Program   
Publicity   
Personal Selling   
Direct Marketing   

12. Brand Management   
Brand Equity Models   
Brand Elements   
Designing Brand Strategy   
Brand Portfolios   
Managing Brand Equity   

13. Marketing Ethics   
Marketing Ethics   
Product Related Ethics   
Price Related Ethics   
Place Related Ethics   
Promotion Related Ethics   
Consumer Protection   

14. Managing Marketing Organization and Control   
Organizing Marketing Department   
Marketing Implementation and Control
    
15. Digital Marketing   
Digital Marketing   

16. Social and Not-for-Profit Marketing   
Socially Responsible Behaviour   
Cause-Related Marketing   
Sustainable Marketing   
Marketing & Environmental Concerns   
Social Marketing   
Not-for-Profit Marketing
    
17. Customer Value and Customer Relationship Management   
Customer Value   
Customer Lifetime Value   
Customer Profitability   
Customer Loyalty   
Customer Satisfaction   
Customer Relationship Management   
Database Marketing   

18. International Marketing
International Marketing Decisions
Types of Global Firms

19. Competition Analysis   
Analyzing Competition   
Competitive Marketing Strategies   
Competitive Positions   
Balancing Customer and Competitor Orientations   

1. Strategic Management – Concept and Types
Levels of Strategy
Forms of Strategy
Process of Strategy

2. External Analysis
PESTEL Framework
ETOP
QUEST
Porter’s 5 Forces
Impact Matrix
Strategic Group Mapping

3. Internal Analysis
Competitive Advantage
Critical Success Factors
Value Chain Analysis
Benchmarking
SWOT Analysis
SFAS Matrix
Strategic Advantage Profile (SAP)

4. Business Strategies
Generic Competitive Strategies
First Mover Advantages
Cooperative Strategies
Industry Life Cycle

5. Corporate Strategies
Growth Strategy
Stability Strategy
Retrenchment Strategy
Combination Strategy
Turnaround Management

6. Business Portfolio Analysis
BCG’s Matrix
Internal-External (IE) Matrix
GE McKinsey Matrix
Experience Curve
Grand Strategy Matrix
SPACE Matrix

7. Strategy Implementation and Evaluation
Strategy Implementation
Strategy and Structure
Strategy Evaluation and Control
Control Mechanisms
Strategic Incentive Management
McKinsey’s 7S Model

8. Management of Strategic Change
Barriers to Change
Models of strategic change
Change Requirements

1. Introduction to Marketing Research
Marketing Research Process
Types of Marketing Research
Sources of Marketing Research

2. Research Problem and Research Approach
Research Problem
Research Approach

3. Research Design
Classifications of Research Design
Other Research Types
Errors in Research Design

4. Secondary Data Analysis
Types of Data
Types of Secondary Data
Data Mining
Geodemographic Data Analysis
Customer Relationship Management
Big Data
Web Analytics

5. Qualitative Research: Approaches
Phenomenology
Ethnographic Research
Grounded Theory
Case Study
Action Research

6. Qualitative Research: Techniques and Analysis
Focus Group
In-depth interview
Projective techniques
Data Analysis for Qualitative research
Approaches to Data Analysis

7. Survey Method and Observation
Modes of Survey Questionnaire
Evaluation of the Survey Methods
Sources of Errors in Surveys
Observation Techniques
Types of Observation Techniques

8. Causal Research and Experimentation
Causality
Experiment Method
Steps of Experimental method
Types of Extraneous Variables
Controlling Extraneous Variables
Other issues in Experimental Design
Validity
Classification of Experimental designs
Laboratory and Field Experiments
Basic versus Factorial Experimental Designs
Test Marketing

9. Measurement and Scaling
Measurement and Scaling
Scale characteristics
Types of Scales
Nature of Scales
Types of Scaling techniques
Multi Item Scale
Scale Evaluation

10. Questionnaire Design
Basic Considerations in Questionnaire Design
Questionnaire Design Process

11. Sampling and Hypothesis Testing
Process of Sampling Design
Classification of Sampling Techniques
Sampling Distribution
Hypothesis Testing
Type I and Type II Errors
Process of Hypothesis Testing

12. Data Analysis Approaches
Factor Analysis
Cluster Analysis
Multidimensional Scaling
Conjoint Analysis

13. Forecasting Techniques
Forecasting Methods
Qualitative Forecasts
Time Series Forecasting
Simple Linear Regression
Correlation
Multiple Regression
Seasonal Adjustments
Accuracy of Forecast

14. Marketing Report Preparation

15. Ethics in Marketing Research

1. Understanding Consumer Behaviour
Consumer Behaviour and Marketing Strategy

2. Motivation, Ability and Opportunity
Consumer Motivation
Consumer Ability
Consumer Opportunity

3. Perception and Comprehension
Perception
Comprehension
Sensory Marketing

4. Memory, Knowledge and Learning
Memory
Memory Enhancement Techniques
Knowledge Content
Knowledge Structure
Knowledge Flexibility
Memory and Retrieval
Learning

5. High and Low Effort based Attitudes
Attitudes
Attitudes based on High Efforts
Attitudes Based on Low Efforts
Theories of Attitudes
Changing Attitudes

6. Process of Making Decisions
Problem Recognition
Information Search
Choosing among alternatives
High Effort Judgment and Decision Making
Low Effort Judgment and Decision Making
Purchase Decisions
Consumer Problems
Organizational Buying Decisions

7. Post-Decision Processes
Model of Learning from Consumer Experience
Satisfaction or Dissatisfaction Judgments
Satisfaction or Dissatisfaction based on Feelings
Responses to Dissatisfaction
Disposition

8. Social Influences and Consumer Diversity
Social Influences
Social Power and Group Influences
Reference Groups
Consumer Socialization
Normative and Informational Influence
Consumer Diversity
Household and Social Class Influences

9. Psychographics Components
Values
Personality
Lifestyles

10. Innovations, Adoption, Resistance and Diffusion
Classification of Innovations
Resistance versus Adoption
Diffusion
Influences on Adoption, Resistance, and Diffusion
Fashion System

11. Symbolic Consumer Behaviour
Emblematic Function
Role Acquisition Function
Connectedness Function
Expressiveness Function
Special Brands and Possessions
Gift Giving

12. Fundamentals of Economics
Demand and Supply analysis
Consumer Behaviour
Production Theory
Market Structure

1. Introducing Digital Marketing
Digital Marketing
Characteristics of Digital Media
e-Commerce and e-Business
Benefits of Digital Media
Challenges of Digital Communications

2. Analysis of Environment
Situation Analysis
Customer Analysis
Consumer Buying Process
Competitor Analysis
Channel Structure
Business Model
Revenue Models
Macro Environment
Legal and Ethical Environment

3. Digital Marketing Strategy
Strategy Formulation
Online Revenue Contribution
Strategy Implementation and Control

4. Digital Marketing and Marketing Mix
Product
Price
Place
Promotion
People, Process, and Physical evidence

5. Customer Relationship Management
Customer Lifecycle Management

6. Customer Experience
Website Development Process
Analysis and Design of Website
Development and Testing
Service Quality

7. Digital Campaign Planning
Digital Marketing Campaigns

8. Marketing Communications
Steps of Online advertising
Search Engine Marketing
Search Engine Optimisation
Paid Search Marketing
Display Advertising
Online Public Relations
Affiliate Marketing
Email Marketing
Mobile Marketing
Social Media Marketing
Offline Promotion Techniques

9. Evaluation of Digital Marketing
Web Analytics
Google Analytics

10. Emerging Technologies
Cloud Computing
Artificial Intelligence
Expert Systems
Fuzzy Logic
Neural Network
Big Data
Blockchain and Bitcoins